Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) – Mauritania and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will co-host a four-day forum for policymakers, development practitioners, rural producers and farmers organizations to find ways to strengthen food security and poverty reduction at country and regional levels in West and Central Africa.

With the theme “For an effective partnership with farmers and rural producers organizations,” the 10th Regional Implementation Forum for IFAD-supported projects in West and Central Africa takes place 8 -12 April in Nouakchott, Mauritania, IFAD announced on Thursday.

In outlining the food security and poverty challenges ahead, Ides de Willebois, Regional Director for West and Central Africa Division at IFAD said, “Farmers organizations are the essential link in agriculture and rural development in these regions because they are central to the agricultural, economic, political and social dynamics of the country.”

“It is critical that we pursue partnerships with them in order to foster sustainability, including of IFAD-funded activities,” he added.

The forum will work on strategies to strengthen country level partnerships between farmer organizations and the IFAD programmes in the region. Participants will discuss recent developments, examine lessons learned from IFAD-funded projects in West and Central Africa, and work toward consensus on how all partners can improve results and impact on the lives of the rural poor.

As of December 2017, IFAD has supported 39 ongoing programmes and projects in 23 countries in West and Central Africa, representing US$1.3 billion in IFAD financing. More than 5 million people, 54 percent of whom are women benefit from the investment.

Since 1980, IFAD has financed 14 projects and programmes in Mauritania for a total of US$342.3 million, including US$136.2 million from IFAD’s own resources, directly benefiting some 190,470 Mauritanian rural households.
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